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Ryuko Kawada
is one of the most skilled and talented gladiators in the popular bloodsport, frequenting circuits throughout Kig-Yar space, the frontier, Jiralhanae territory and even circuits in Remnant space, and the ancient arenas on the Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar homeworlds. Despite her success, she abhors her position as a slave, and those who hold power over her. Determined to fight her way out of the pits, she has passed from owner to owner, most considering her too difficult to control. Biography Early Life Born on the world of Falaknuma in 2554, she was born to Shinichiro and Carol Kawada. At the time of her birth Falaknuma was encountering a period of economic hardship, as it had escaped the war intact but possessed little industry that could help in the rebuilding of the UEG. Her father, an electrical engineer, found it difficult to find work, especially since many positions in UEG space had been filled, and one of his other alternatives was enlisting in the UNSC. He instead found himself approached by representatives of the Sangheili Republic. With Sanghelios recently stabilised, they were looking for people of all trades and all races to help them rebuild their home worlds. At the age of five, the Kawada family moved to Sanghelios for a better future. Growing up on Sanghelios Finding work as serfs in the state of Vadam, her father worked as an electrical engineer, repairing damage to the state's structure and the Keep itself, while teaching other serfs to do the same, while her mother worked as a low level administrator. Growing up amongst Sangheili youths, she became tough, boisterous and learned to fight early on. Growing up alongside the youths, she became fluent in Sangheili, almost abandoning her native tongue, and learned to fight like a Sangheili, becoming accustomed to using a sword. Over the next decade, her family rose the ranks of the Keep, until her father became one of the lead engineers maintaining the ancient systems of the Keep, while her mother became retainer of Keep Elder, Lak 'Vadam. Ryuko herself grew up to be tough and lean, and extremely quick witted. Ambush Just after her 17th Birthday, she accompanied her parents on a diplomatic mission alongside Elder Lak. Voyaging off Sanghelios itself, they journeyed several lightyears from the home world when the diplomatic party was ambushed by unknown assailants. In the chaos, Lak 'Vadam was killed, and Ryuko was separated from her parents. Most of the party was killed and those who were survived were thrown into a prisoner hold. Those few that survived were taken to a Kig-Yar trader station and immediately sold on. Slavers bartered and traded the survivors, and soon most were in a dozen separate cargo holds going off to every end of the Frontier. Ryuko herself was sold to a Kig-Yar slaver who intended to sell her on as a servant, only after he broke her. The Slave Pit Stripped of all her clothing and possessions, she was bound up, and thrown into a slave pit on his vessel. Starved for two weeks during the journey through slipspace, the slaver approached her with food on the basis she becomes an obedient slave. Her only response was to spit in his face. Another two weeks in the pit did nothing to change this attitude. Infuriated with his purchase, he sold her for a portion of her acquisition cost to a arena owner, who figured she'd make a fine warm up for the match ahead. First Match Brought to the arena a shadow of the girl the slavers bought a month earlier, she'd lost a significant amount of weight. They planned to throw her into a 'warm up' match, usually a spectacle involving one side that really can't fight, like an unarmed slave, and a powerful enemy, like a monstrous creature or a violent gladiator. Thrown into an arena against a mad and rabid Kig-Yar, armed with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, and deadly claws, they expected a quick and bloody fight. They got exactly what they asked for. Initially thrown aback by the savagery of her enemy, her ferocity and determination to survive shone through. Picking up a rock from the blood splattered floor, she lunged at her attack, and in a frenzied attack, crushed his skull with a rock. Standing up in the arena, she was covered in scratches and her enemies blood. She became an instant crowd favourite. She was sold on to a Gladiator training for a sizeable fund, where she'd spend her next two years. Gladiator Training Bought by the Gladiator Trainer, Dacastus, she was taken to his gladiator school. Decastus was famed for training skilled Jiralhanae, Sangheili and Kig-Yar Gladiators, but Ryuko would be his first female human Gladiator. The gladiator school was housed in a complex closer to a prison, with each gladiator housed in individual cells. The training regimen was brutal, involving frequent physical exercise and combat training, as well as practice for battle in the arena. Gladiatorial games were rarely death matches, instead blood sport involving bravado and shows of skill. None the less, casualties were many, and Ryuko earned more than few scars in training duels. Discovering her skill with a sword, Dacastus focused on this, training her to become fast and skilled with a blade. However, all through her training she still showed her wilful attitude and strong desire for freedom, and multiple attempts at escape, fights with other slaves and disobedience. She was frequently punished, often in front of the other slaves, with lashings and floggings. Another common punishment she endured was the isolation cell and the 'hotbox', being thrown into a small metal box in the middle of the training yard during the baking heat of the mid-afternoon and left to swelter. Despite the suffering and hardship, it became abundantly clear to Dacastus that she would become a gladiator of significant skill, albeit difficult, if not impossible, to control. Dacastus kept this fact a secret when she was sold on. First Master, First Fight Entertaining the visiting merchant, Taramanus, he displayed several of his best gladiators, in hopes of selling some of them. Taramanus became intrigued by this young human. Fighting against one of Taramanus' own gladiators, a Kig-Yar, she easily bested him and claimed the victory, humiliating the Kig-Yar in the process. Sedating Ryuko, Dacastus then sold her on to Taramanus. She came round by the time Taramus was in the next system and only then did he realise why Dacastus was so desperate to be rid of her. She immediately caused immense amounts of havoc on the ship, before being returned to her cell. Despite difficulties in handling her, Taramanus got her to her first booked match, a fight in a small arena on some backwater world. She quickly proved skilled, toppling the local champion with contemptuous ease and then aggravating the crowd. Taramanus grabbed his earnings and fled with her. Her first arena fight, with the baying of the crowd, and the rush of the adrenaline made her feel alive, more alive than she had in a long time. Taramanus booked her into a number of fights on several different worlds, with Ryuko winning each and every one. Impressed by her martial skill, and her ability to play an arena crowd, Taramanus began to become confident with his latest purchase. Confident he'd asserted his control over her, he took her to a high profile event hosted after an arena match, with the intention of showing her off. She proceeded to pick a fight with a gladiator and dishonoured him by beating this gladiator in public. Ashamed, Taramanus left the planet in a hurry. At the next world, he sold her on having no intention of trying to control this beast. The Second Master, First League Sold on quickly by Taramanus on his next stop, bordering Kig-Yar space. Sold to the privateer Trak F'Kor, he'd seen two of her previous fights, and was convinced she was a winner. Trak F'Kor had little previous experience in owning a gladiator, but was an avid fan of the sport and was convinced he could turn her around. Knowing her to be near uncontrollable, instead of attempting to subjugate her, he instead gave her more freedoms, and promised more if she performed well. A simple premise, but it gave Ryuko a faint glimmer of hope. She fought and trained harder than ever, and battled in a number of local circuits. Steadily earning fame, she became famous enough to enter a major league in inner Kig-Yar space. Her efforts had reaped their rewards. She no longer wore a collar, she wore normal clothing and had free run of the ship. Coming into her first league match, she beat he opponent senseless and dazzled the crowd with her skills and fighting style. Climbing the ranks of the league, her successes began to threaten members of the Karokordo Trader Cartel, who ran a strict control of the league, by fixing results to maximise their profits. Approaching Trak and asking him to throw their next match, Trak, intimidated by attracting the attention of the Cartel, agreed, and reluctantly, Ryuko agreed to this too. However, the cartel intended to see Ryuko 'accidentally' killed in the ring, and in the brutal match that followed, she fought to the death against a berserker opponent, eventually killing him with a sword flourish. Trak, knowing the Cartel would come for him, left before the match even ended, and was in the next star system when Ryuko landed her killing blow. Realising the kindest master she had, had abandoned her, she resigned herself to what fate had in store, as members of the Cartel claimed her as their own. Once against stripped of her belongings, she was again fixed with a slave collar. The Third Master, Fighting on Eayn Taken by members of the Cartel, she was passed to one of their affiliates, a gladiator owner named Kar'tra. A strict and violent master, Ryuko lacked the energy to resist. Having just been abandoned by Trak, she lost her will to fight. In her training matches she barely fought back and her will to resist her captor was non-existent. Kar'tra, almost disappointed after hearing about how wilful and disobedient, was prepared to retire her and just sell her on as a slave, when one of his superiors in the cartel insisted on having her as part of a large gladiatorial games hosted on Eayn. Kar'tra re-instilled her fighting spirit by having several other gladiators beat her, while he stood at the side lines, accusing her of weakness and cowardice. She lacked the spirit of a warrior, and one simple betrayal broke her when any other would of lived. Finally, he insulted the 'Vadams for being too weak to protect her and her family. Its then she snapped. She immediately fought back, disarming the slaves beating her, and hospitalising them both. Entering training harder than ever, her determination to show her strength to Kar'tra, and escape this hell was greater than ever. Journeying to Eayn, Ryuko was to take part in the Tarmaessenia games. Literally taking over one of the largest cities on Eayn, Kig-Yar athletes from across the planet, and the colonies, came to compete in traditional Kig-Yar sports, while gladiators would fight in huge spectacles in the arenas. Over the four week event she was booked to fight eleven times in different events. The events were as follows *Duel: The first duel on her schedule, she fought a Kig-Yar gladiator to a stand still. *Beast Fight: Watching people battle exotic beasts had always been a popular event, and for this fight Ryuko fought three predatory hounds from Erebus VII. Massive, feral alpha predators, these creatures were starved to increase their blood lust and set loose on Ryuko. She Butchered her way through the fight with ease but lamented having to kill otherwise innocent creatures simply trying to eat. *Group Fight: A six v six match, Ryuko, and other Gladiators belonging to the Cartel, fought Gladiators belonging to another coalition of traders. A resounding defeat, her inability and unwillingness to fight as a team resulted in her battling three opponents at the end of the match, and was eventually defeated. *Duel: Her second duel of the event, it took place close to the start of the second week. To a baying crowd, she took on a famed Kig-Yar gladiatrix, and won narrowly, suffering a deep wound to her arm. Her victory cemented her notoriety in the arena. *Tag team: Paired with a gladiator from the cartel's own stock, she run by single handed rushing in and downing both opponents in short order. *Beast Fight: The second battle against a monster pitched four gladiators from the cartel against a single Tarexxian Goliath. A huge monster, possessed of slab like natural armour and muscles strong enough to crush a car, Ryuko and the team of four evaded its lumbering claws to try and chip away at its legs, when Ryuko elected to climb its back and plunged her sword between his shoulder blades, mortally wounding it. *Group Fight: The second group fight pitched the group of 6 cartel gladiators against another team of gladiators from a separate conglomerate. This fight fared better, with Ryuko eliminating three enemies herself. *Tag team: Her second tag team matched fared more poorly than the first. Her opponents utilised a net and a long hook to pin her down and disarm her while her partner, previously upstaged by her actions, refused to help, instead taking both opponents down himself while she was pinned. *Duel: Her last standard duel in the arena pitted her against Sen'k, a Kig-Yar mercenary turned gladiator. He opponent was an equal in speed, skill and strength, but beat her in experience. The bout ran for nearly thirty minutes before both wounded each other and forfeited in exhaustion. Sen'K would earn her respect that day, and they'd encounter each other in the arena over the next few years. *Historical Reenactment: A common feature at these games, and one of the later attractions, the arena was rearranged to host a reenactment of a battle from the history of Eayn. This particular war was Fool's Landing, an attack by the forces of pirate prince Dak Tr'aas against the free traders of Tammak. The various participating gladiators were re-equipped to represent the poorly armed defenders of Fool's Landing, while the forces of the Kig-Yar military, dressed in historical heavy armour, played the forces of Dak Tr'aas. To accommodate the battle, the arena was flooded, and a fake island constructed. The pirate ships landed on the fortified island, and Ryuko, with many other gladiators, fought the military forces attempting to take the island. Ryuko herself held one of the bastions, the five major towers along the fortified harbour wall, keeping back a dozen or so warriors before eventually being overwhelmed. True to history, and in equal parts and effort to keep the gladiators in their place, the military won the battle. In line with historical event, the gladiators were stripped of their armour and clothes, chained together and marched around the arena, to the amusement of the jeering crowd. Ryuko had fought like a wildcat when they tried to chain her up, resulting in a number of scratches and bruises on top of her previous injuries. *Exhibition Duel: The final day of the games featured no athletic events outside of gladiatorial matches. Ryuko's skill, ferocity and presence in the arena, as well as her rarity as a female human saw her called her up for an Exhibition Duel. Facing off against a slightly older female gladiator, known only as Sabine. For all her wits, ferocity and raw talent, she couldn't beat Sabine. A sword wielder, like herself, Sabine was stoic, fast and precise, parrying and returning every blow in short order. Worn down by Sabine's strikes, she was eventually downed with a brutal blow to her gut, and left collapsed on the arena floor. Sabine had no care for a victory celebration, and dismissed her fallen enemy, then left her. The four week celebration coming to an end, almost 4 weeks of constant fighting left its toll on the exhausted Ryuko, who bore fresh scars from the battles, and humiliation left by the mysterious Sabine. Given time to recuperate, this humiliation would fester. This would come to a head at their next battle. Hero of the Arena Kar'tra knew the power of marketing, so following her success and the fame earned at the Tarmaessenia games, her 'rebranded' her as the 'Princess of the Sands'. Fitted in new, finely wrought, and revealing armour, meant to evoke a feeling of royalty, and armed with a fine blade, she toured the arena circuits on Eayn and the other colonies in the star system, earning quite a following. This was followed by numerous league battles, most of which she stormed through. She became something of a celebrity of Eayn, with the Cartel's significant might being thrown being a publicity campaign behind her, marketing her as a sponsor of products, as a celebrity at important events (Alongside her master and handlers of course) and even interviews on media outlets, many of them doctored and controlled by her handlers. Ryuko herself was disgruntled with this. She didn't want fame or fans, she just wanted to escape the pits. However, the fighting continued to keep her adrenaline flowing and keeping her somewhat content. Her matches became spectacles, attended by tens of thousands, and her victories immortalised in legend. Just following her win in the Lameria League, Kar'tra was approached by a mysterious Kig-Yar trader brokering for a third party, offering to purchase Ryuko for a substantial sum, however Kar'tra simply laughed it off. She made Kar'tra extraordinarily rich and influential. However, it would not last. Rumours persisted the woman that defeated her at the games, Sabine, had come back to Eayn. Returning to Doisac which was her regular haunt, her master brought her to Eayn to fight in their arenas. Since the games, Ryuko had grown stronger and more skilled, and believed she could beat Sabine. Finally, they encountered each other in the final of the Blood Storm League. Ryuko, as brash as ever, taunted her opponent. The fiery and volatile Ryuko went against the stoic and precise Sabine in a battle that would go down in legend. In a battle nearly an hour, both lashed at each other, their skill near equally matched. However, Ryuko began to tire, and Sabine gained the edge, and in a few quick blows, the match was over, in a massive upset. Ryuko, the favourite, was toppled, and left defeated, the crowd booing and heckling her. Bellowing at Sabine, she simply dismissed the defeated gladiator and walked out of the ring. Ryuko's fortunes reversed dramatically, and as Sabine rose in fame, her own dwindled. He confidence shot, she lost otherwise easy matches, and dwindled to near obscurity. Kar'tra lost signifiant amount of money on her and it looked as though he would not be able to recuperate any of it. That's when the the mysterious broker approached Kar'tra, and offered to buy her for only a portion of the original price. Kar'tra cut his losses and sold her on. The Fourth Master, Journey into the Hive Sold to this mysterious broker, she was taken onto his ship in her slave attire and collar, then taken into deep space to a rendezvous. It was then she got a chance to see her buyer. She was escorted to the docking ring and had a clear view of the ones who purchased her. An unusual ship pulled up alongside them, a deep green in colour with an unusual vertical-style layout and numerous spines. When the ships docked with one another, Yanme'e warriors and drones left the airlock. Handing Ryuko's chain to them, the broker was given a substantial amount of money, and she was pulled, with much difficulty, across the threshold and onto their ship. She'd heard rumours in the pits about how the Yanme'e treated their slaves, and she certainly did not want to be a part of it. Once aboard the ship, she was pulled in front of a larger Yanme'e and put on her knees. He revealed himself to be Prince Phazixal, the mate of Princess Faz'Xazal. Princess Faz'Xazal was quite a fan of the games, and had journeyed to Eayn, at great expense, several times to watch them, and became particularly drawn to Ryuko. She wanted to bring Gladiator combat to the Yanme'e hives, and wanted Ryuko, along with a few other gladiators, to head up this effort. Ryuko wasn't in a position to decline this offer. Slavery under the yoke of the Yanme'e was different to any other she bore before this. While not collared, each and every slave, Ryuko included, were stripped of any and all clothes and marked with a pheromone scent to show them as belonging to the hive. Taken back to their hive, she was formally introduced to the princess, though their translator declined to include the numerous curses and threats Ryuko uttered. The Princess had brought in a gladiator trainer, Reikus. A miserable old wretch, he was a drunkard and a lout, but had a long history of training good gladiators, and his services came cheap. Along with that, she bought seven other gladiators, including Ryuko's friend Sen'K. Under Reikus, the eight gladiators began to train in the sweltering heat of the hive, and fight for the entertainment of the hive in the arena built outside. Ryuko however, had lost much of her confidence and fighting spirit after losing to Sabine for a second time. Sen'K attempted to inspire her. Her strength had inspired him to fight harder in the arena, which allowed him to survive several dangerous bouts after the games. Ryuko's damaged confidence was healed, at least a little bit. Back in the arena, she was back on form. The Princess, pleased with their performance, asked her subordinates to begin touring them on local circuits. Having been gone from the Eayn circuit for three months, her return brought some attention, but her mysterious disappearance after every match left many confused. Princess Faz'Xazal was extraordinarily pleased with her gladiators, having every match recorded for her entertainment, and even took to having Ryuko kept in her throne room like a pet. Ryuko encountered a second wind to her career, finally coming to terms with her defeat and beginning to enjoy battle once again. However, the Princess had other plans for her. Taken to a chamber deep in the hive by two drones, she wasn't familiar with this area, and didn't understand what happening until the two drones pinned her down, and a male human was brought into the small chamber. Only then did she understand, the princess wished to have Ryuko birth more gladiators for generations to come. At this point, Ryuko had had enough. Summoning all of her strength and rage, she threw off both drones. Grabbing the closest one, she slammed it into the ground and began punching it repeatedly in the head, eventually caving its skull in. As the second recovered, it tried to lunge at her, but she tore one of the barbed limbs of the downed drone off and impaled the second drone in the fleshy and exposed neck, killing it outright. The third, releasing its slave, flew to her, trying to to subdue her, but she caught its tackle and hurled it against a wall. Planting a knee on its back, she pulled its head back, snapping its head lose and killing it. Attempting to escape, she was swarmed by responding drones and subdued. It was then the princess realised her prized pet was dangerous, violent and uncontrollable, a trait she believed would be passed on to any off spring she bore. The Princess decided her gladiator was no longer of use. She'd established her own gladiator team, and Ryuko was no longer needed, and too difficult to control. She was scrubbed of her pheromone scent and sold to a passing trader. The passing trader intended to sell her off on his next stop, but he never made it. His ship was attacked by the pirate Char Murv. The Fifth Master, In the Grip of Pirates The ship of the slave trader carrying her came under attack from Kig-Yar pirate, Char Murv. An action of swift violence, the ship's engines were knocked out early into the fight, and boarding pods bore through the hull, disgorge squads of pirates. During the chaos, Ryuko languished in her cell, unconcerned by the chaos around her. Eventually, the pirates seized control and took inventory of their loot. At least fifty slaves, and plenty of materiel. As Shipmistress Char Murv personally looked over their loot, she recognised Ryuko from her days as champion on Eayn. Curious as to where the gladiator had been for the better part of 6 months, she personally interrogated her and then had her, and the other slaves taken over to their vessel, and left the slaver vessel floating in space. The Sixth Master, Servitude to Calistus Personality Ryuko can quickly be summed up as loud, brash and always spoiling for a fight. Even as a child she was energetic and boisterous, and growing up on Sanghelios cemented that attitude. As a child she always scrapped with the bigger Sanghelios youths, and growing up amongst them she took on many of their social conventions, such as personal honour. As a grown woman she's maintained thrives of personal honour, and this usually manifests as being a very sore loser. She's also prone to running her mouth, and will say exactly what what's a on her mind. She's also know to lash out physically when she's angry, or finds difficulty expressing herself. Despite being a slave for several years, she has still yet to get used to the clothing (or lack of clothing) given to slaves and gets easily embarrassed by her slave clothing, especially around other humans. Losing her family crushed her, but her spirit refused to yield. Despite attempts by numerous owners to break her, she's refused to yield and still remains fiercely independent and determined to resist. She abhors slavers, and slave owners with a passion, but in the arena, she has a sense of belonging. In the arena, she loves a good brawl, and battles with an extreme vigour that few enemies can keep up with. She does what she can to protect other slaves around her, especially those who can't protect themselves. Despite this, she's not a team player, and prefers to fight alone, not playing well with others. Skills Armoury Gladiator School At the gladiator school run by Dacastus, she was given her first gladiator armour and weapon. Given a standard gladiator harness designed for human males, it was initially ill fitting and uncomfortable. Upon this harness her armour would be directly bolted onto the harness. After the first month, Dacastus had a custom made harness made especially for her. This harness, like the others used by the gladiators, was a set of metallic components connected by leather straps, which were locked onto her body by the overseer, and could only be unlocked by his key. The harness did little to spare her modesty, featuring a simplistic design that featured a collar, two straps on her upper arm, a strap across her chest, a codpiece and two straps on her thighs, all of which were interconnected. Her training armour was piled onto this harness, which consisted of a modest chest plate contoured to her body, two fauld plates that covered each of her thighs, greaves, and vambraces. For most of training she had a longsword made for training, with a dulled point, but later in her training, she was equipped with a sharpened version, making for genuine combat. Under Taramanus Taramanus only owned Ryuko for a short time, and during that time he bought her a single set of armour, a style intended for human males, again. This ill fitting armour hampered her agility, especially given it was designed for somebody with a larger frame. This consisted of greaves, vambraces, two rounded pauldrons, a breast plate that hung heavily on her torso and a single fauld hanging from her hips, suspended by a belt. She utilised a Jiralhanae style sword, with a wicked curve a the tip. Under Trak F'Kor When Trak F'Kor bought her, her arms and armour came bundled under the price, Shortly after her first few matches, Trak bought her a custom made set of armour. Form fitting, practical and modest, the armour featured a cuirasse, greaves, faulds, vambraces and pauldrons, along with a high collar to protect her neck, and was fitted with an underlying body suit. This was teamed with a well balanced sword, with a basket style hilt. Unfortunately, this gear would be discarded when the cartel took owner ship of her. Under Kar'tra under the Cartel associate Kar'tra, she was taken back to being dressed and armoured as an out right slave. Her newly made battle armour featured a cuirasse, vambraces graves and a 'skirt' made from multiple faulds overlapping one another. She utilised a Kig-Yar pattern of longsword, featuring a gut hook for cracking open armour. During the Tarmaessenia games reenactment, she wore mock armour in the guise of historical Kig-Yar armour patterns, intended to replicate the armour of the Free Traders of Tammak. This armour, which Ryuko particularly hated, consisted of a bikini-style armour, especially made for the jeering crowd's pleasure, teamed with a short red cloak, a short sowrd and a shield. The shield was dumped soon into the battle, being thrown in the face of one of her opponents. During her run as the 'Princess of the Sands' she wore a set of armour especially tailored to her by one of Eayn's top armoursmiths. Under Princess Faz'Xazal Under Char Murv Under Calistus